2025 Stars Leave State: Break Down from All Angles

In the immortal words of one of the best boy bands of all time, top players continue to say Bye, Bye, Bye to Illinois. The trend of the best prospects in the state leaving continued this week.   The best two players in the 2025 class bookended the week with decisions to leave the state.  Monday St. Rita shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385285' first='Melvin' last='Bell'] announced his decision to go to La Lumiere (IN).  That was followed by Joliet West star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385291' first='Jeremiah' last='Fears'] decision to leave Joliet West where he played with his brother Jeremy this year to attend Sunrise Christian (KS).    A year ago Kenwood high-major talent Bryce Heard bounced from Chicago to Montverde (FL) in the same 2025 class.  That is the top 3 players in the class who are all gone before junior years.  No doubt #1 2026 Tim Winkler went right to IMG (FL) to start with before even playing a high school game in-state.   There are a lot of ways to look at these two stars leaving.  We examine it from several different angles.   NIBC   Prep schools have ruled for a while now.  They play the best teams, travel, are on TV, and get college like training while still in high school.  Once they teamed up to form the NIBC it changed the game.  The best traditional four year prep schools such as Sunrise Christian and La Lumiere joined forces to form a league with other big time programs across the country such as long time powerhouses Oak Hill (VA), Montverde (FL), and more to form the NIBC.  It is almost like the EYBL during high school season.  There are sessions throughout the country where they play each other.  High-major and mid-majors all over the floor.  Every game is televised on one of the ESPN platforms.  College coaches flock to it because it is one stop to see a ton of prospects.  You can definitely see the appeal.   More of the Same   This has been going on for a while now and doesn't seem like it is going to stop anytime soon.  Just look at the recent graduating 2023 class.  Five star and potential #1 NBA draft choice Matas Buzelis left after his freshman season at Hinsdale Central, where he only played on the sophomore team, to join Brewster Academy during the covid year before ultimately ending up at Sunrise.  Prior to ultimately returning for his senior year Joliet West's [player_tooltip player_id='1562176' first='Jeremy' last='Fears'] was at La Lumiere his sophomore and junior campaigns along with a very brief stop with Overtime Elite.  Then there is JJ Taylor who went out west leaving Kenwood.  That would have been one of the better top 3 in recent memory.   Also this spring we have seen [player_tooltip player_id='1157228' first='James' last='Brown'] who was the #2 ranked junior in Illinois and a North Carolina commit opt to attend Link Academy (MO) who is another prep power.    Appeal to Stay?   So what is the appeal to stay?  First is to represent your hometown.  At the end of the day these prep schools will have McDonald's All-Americans come year after year and you are just another one in a long line.  If you are one at your local school or even a state power like Simeon or Whitney Young you are remembered forever in that community and in the state.  I think about players like Jabari Parker, Cliff Alexander, Jahlil Okafor, and Jalen Brunson.  All could have went to big prep schools but 10 years later they are still talked about like legends in Chicago for the performances they put on and their accomplishments.  Max Christie and [player_tooltip player_id='939055' first='Cameron' last='Christie'] were both rumored to be leaving the state.  They played all four years at Rolling Meadows and made that one of the best programs in Illinois over the last five years.  In that community they will never be forgotten.  Also sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.  There are players that have left and never lived up to expectations playing on the big stage.  Also in a lot of these tour stops there are not that many fans.  The talent on the floor is off the charts, but it lacks the feel of an awesome high school environment or big time local event.   New #1 in 2025   The race for the top spot in the 2025 class is officially on with three main contenders.  [player_tooltip player_id='1385300' first='Antonio' last='Munoz'] (Whitney Young), [player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill'] (St. Ignatius), and [player_tooltip player_id='1385283' first='Aleks' last='Alston'] (Kenwood) are the remaining players in the top five.  Munoz is a freak show athlete with a great frame that started to blossom as a sophomore with more production.  Gill is so intriguing with his smooth offensive game as a scorer and facilitator along with being able to defend multiple spots.  Alston has tremendous size as a point-power forward being able to shoot from distance at a high rate while also passing with flair.  A dark horse candidate in this is Hansberry sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1766460' first='Al' last='Brooks'] Jr.  He posted insane numbers at the small Chicago school this season.  We saw him early this spring and he jumps off the floor at 6'6” with his frame, athleticism, and ability to impact on both ends.

In the immortal words of one of the best boy bands of all time, top players continue to say Bye, Bye, Bye to Illinois. The trend of the best prospects in the state leaving continued this week.